Bundled-up customers, some who had waited for hours, stood in a growing line that snaked across a strip mall. In winds that dropped temperatures below 30 degrees, they waited to enter the neighborhood’s newest grocery store.

Through tears, store owner Robin Eccleston christened the opening of the Grocery Outlet in Overlea. Snipping a ribbon designed to look like a receipt, the independent operator welcomed in customers for the first time Thursday.

Despite a Giant and Weis Markets sitting about a mile away, the bargain chain’s boasting of cheaper prices spurred excitement. The grocer still plans to make gains in the community even with concerns over rising grocery prices and looming tariffs expected to affect imported foods.

“We’ve been in business 79 years, we’ve dealt with a lot of different crises,” said Layla Kasha, Grocery Outlet’s chief new growth officer, who helped lead the opening of the latest location at 7660 Belair Road. While the chain is not new to the Greater Baltimore area, with stores from Glen Burnie to Eldersburg, they appear to be one of the few in the food industry not spooked by an increasingly high-pressure market.

“I think it [rising prices] will help us gain more customers,” Eccleston said. The Grocery Outlet sources half of all their food from manufacturers who either have leftover inventory from another grocer’s order or have products with a “use by” date that’s too close for conventional grocers to stock. They refer to it as “opportunistic product,” or items they’re able to sell at a deeper discount because they would otherwise go to waste.

While scarcity caused by the avian flu has sent some eggs prices soaring with costs appearing upward of $7 for a dozen, the outlet’s been able to keep egg prices relatively low, hovering around $5, according to its website.

Tariffs imposed starting Feb. 1 under the new presidential administration are expected to raise the cost of goods imported from Mexico, China and Canada — three of the country’s largest trading partners. Fresh fruits, vegetables and beer stand to see a price hike.

“We would never go up to match what they’re [other grocers are] charging for it,” Eccleston said. His store’s model is also used by other grocers including Lidl and Aldi. Eccleston added that keeping stock prices low will be especially important in Overlea, the area where he currently lives and where many community members struggle to access healthy food.

The owner referred to parts of the community as a food desert, which can be designated based on median household income, access to vehicles and distance from the nearest grocer. While not all Grocery Outlets open up shop in communities lacking easy access to fresh food, it is a “big consideration,” according to Eccleston. Kasha said the chain prides itself on trying to support community health initiatives and picking their real estate “opportunistically.”

Eccleston said he plans to give back to the community with his store, working with two neighboring food pantries in Nottingham. The challenge he still faces, he said, is making sure inventories are kept up in such a large space.

“There’s pressure all the time,” he said. “I’m not anticipating any issues.”